Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC dives into Sony caving to North Korean hackers and cancelling the release of “The Interview” – a movie disrespecting its leader)

Cyber Wedgie – by KMFP

I remember when I pulled that one column I wrote because it “disgusted” one person, “offended the beliefs” of another, and elicited threats from some basement-dwelling douchebag who had ZERO intention of walking up the fourteen steps necessary and out his mother’s side door to even think about making good on them.

Wait – no I don’t… because it never fucking happened!

Sure, we’re talking a much larger scale here, but just when I think that this country can’t possibly lose any more of its once-heralded balls, our goddamned movie studios let some asshole behind a dusty monitor thousands of miles away dictate their creative direction – either at the urging of our own government or not…

Look, I’m well aware of the laughingstock that we’ve become over the last six years in terms of a lack of global respect for our military, and especially its “Commander in Chief”, in large part due to his reluctance to utilize its brave men and women properly AND effectively.

But now WE… a once-feared world power… the most deadly fighting force on the planet – are being cyber fucking bullied?

Despicable.

As much as I love these interwebs, the WORST byproduct of them by far is the “internet tough guy”, the “keyboard kickass”, and these cowardly hackers who would crumble like their precious, plastic Guy Fawkes masks if they ever attempted to publicly display even a quarter of the nut-sack they purport to possess behind that cloak of anonymity.

I have a lot of I.T. friends, and a whole lot of geeky friends – of whom I was once a card-carrying member. Furthermore, I was bullied to the point of revenge seeking and a chip on my shoulder the size of Sons of Anarchy’s sphere of overrated-ness when I was younger as well.

But I never attempted to exact my comeuppance from some cowardly position of secrecy, or influence something I didn’t agree with by means of faceless threat – or worse yet – simply because I could.

If you’re receiving a shit sandwich of my making – you’re gonna’ know exactly who the chef was.

Otherwise, you are everybit the pussy and bullying bastard as that closeted letterman that beat his own insecurities into you two decades earlier, because he didn’t have the ass to challenge somebody his own size, and because his drunken, macho dad influenced – and likely encouraged – such behavior.

When you don’t like something, you voice your opinion – this is your right.

It’s also your right to protest, assemble, and hopefully rally like-believers into possibly influencing some action… based on true regret – NOT fear.

And when somebody does something you deem so unspeakable that no other course of action will suffice, you address the situation… but you do so face-to-face. Whether that then develops into a cordial debate, heated argument, or all-out fistfight – at least you’ve taken an honest stand.

The latter may not be your right; but sometimes it IS an absolute necessity – and how I escaped the bullying of my own adolescence. I’ve obviously taken a much more potentially serious issue and morphed it into my own selfish tangent, but one – I’m a shameless narcissist; and two – the parallels are there.

A bully… is a bully… is a goddamned, faceless, anonymous, “look what I can do”, “I’m so fucking smart” bully – regardless of whether he’s trolling local message boards for confrontation just minutes after “fapping” to Futurama porn, or influencing major motion pictures at the behest of some insane leader in an entirely different hemisphere.

If their “Little Emperor” was indeed so insulted – and had any real fight in him – he’d challenge us to a true confrontation, and I guess we’d see what our own “Emperor” possibly had within himself… which is frightening in its own right.

But then again, why should he bother? Cowering is the bully’s best friend, and Sony already did so – not on their own I suspect.

What else don’t you like, North Korea?

As long as you’re capable of such influence, could you go ahead and threaten the further release of anything “starring” Anne Hathaway, a modern-day De Niro or Pesci, or with “M. Night Shyamalan” anywhere in the credits?

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC fits the season, and is… “Re-Gifting”)

To Gift Again – by Barbara Anne

To re-gift or not to re-gift, that is the question.

I do not re-gift.

But that is not to say that you should or shouldn’t. I do not necessarily have an issue with it.

I think in the instance shared by Mikey-B – they are having some good old fashioned family fun, and I can definitely endorse that.

If you aren’t being spiteful, or hurting anyone – I don’t see harm in it, following the “rules” is important.

Do not re-gift in front of the person who gave you the gift in the first place.

Remember who gave it to you – so that you do not give it back to them. *If you do give it back to them – cover by saying, “I loved it so much, I thought you should have one too!” (Whew, close one.)

If it is going to make someone cry, just keep it in the closet.

See, those things are stressful to me, and when I give a gift, I want it to be fun, I want to enjoy it – so that is probably why I choose not to re-gift.

I also choose not to pick my least favorite things to share for the food drive. So next time you are packing a bag for the Boy Scouts, do not go digging around in the pantry for that old can of lima beans. Share your favorite item. Better yet, shop specifically for the food drive and pick up multiple favorites to bless someone’s table.

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC fits the season, and is… “Re-Gifting”)

The UFO – by Mikey-B

Tis the season…Have you ever gotten a gift that was so….NOT you?

Picture this: A friend or family member hands you a gift. You open it with all the excitement of a little kid and…. a bread-maker?

You’re stuck there trying to act appreciative as the eyes of the giver are glued to your reaction. I say “try” to act appreciative but let’s get real, you have NEVER once made bread, nor have you ever in your entire life had the urge to make bread.

“Awwwee….A bread-maker!…..Thhhanks.”.

It’s the thought that counts, sure. But when the thought is so far off the mark as to anything you would ever need or want, what’s a person to do?

The answer? Re-gift that fucking bread-maker!

There’s an art to re-gifting. For starters, always remember who gave you the gift in question to begin with. Nothing says “Buck you fuddy” like giving the same gift back to the original giver, or even have them present when you give it to someone else.

A good choice is to give it to someone that you’re “supposed” to get a gift for, but you don’t really know.

The company secretary for example, provided you’re not working at the family store. Or, give it as a “white elephant” gift.

Such is the case of the best re-gifting story I know…

Years ago, my Aunt (CMFL) was given an ornament by her boss to “show his appreciation for all her hard work and dedication”. Now to say this ornament was ugly would be an understatement. It sort of looked like Santa’s most hated elf had some bad Mexican food and puked, then took said puke and rolled into a ball, attached a string to it and sprinkled some glitter on that bitch, then claimed it to be an ornament.

Since that fateful Christmas, the “Ugly Fucking Ornament” has been re-gifted throughout our family. It first started when my Aunt received the “UFO” and placed it back into the box from whence it came, washed her hands, and brought it to our family’s Christmas get-together as a white elephant.

It was received by one of the family members and ….because our family doesn’t exactly “pull punches” was agreed upon that it was in fact the ugliest fucking ornament created in the history of man. So ugly in fact that – when the chance came for people to trade to get said ornament – we were opting instead for faded board games with missing pieces rather than touching that ornament, if even by accident.

Before all the “goodbye’s” and “Murray Christmases” were handed out, the UFO secretly made its way onto my sister’s tree in such a discreet location that it wouldn’t be noticed by her until after the season and it was time to pack away the Christmas gear.

The hideousness of the UFO, as well as the audacity of the perpetrator that hid it, haunted my sister….for one year.

When Christmas rolled around once more, the UFO was again re-gifted – once again as a white elephant – and as we all left my sister’s house, we were all threatened with bodily harm if the UFO was found on her premises.

To ensure peace and tranquility, a man who shall remain nameless, after donning the necessary protective equipment, slipped the UFO into one of the bags my mother was to take home. Mom kept the UFO for a couple years.

Not because she wanted it, but because after two years of re-gifting the UFO, the entire clan was on high alert, and NO ONE would be left holding the UFO at the end of our Christmas festivities. This type of vigilant effort to repel the UFO prompted what would become a source of a great family debate, as my mother packaged the UFO and sent it back to its original owner, my aunt – via mail.

Was it fair to use the U.S. Postal Service as a means to re-gift the UFO? Did it cross some unwritten code concerning the UFO? If the postal service found out they had unknowingly been a part of this transgression, what would be the length of fines imposed?

Mom felt the risk was worth the reward… the reward of NOT being the owner of the UFO.

The UFO then went into hiding for a while, when it was finally found rolling around the trunk of MY CAR! I love my aunt to death, but I’ll tell you now….THAT’S ONE SNEAKY SHIT!

That brings us to this year. I have already “disposed” of the UFO into the care of an unsuspecting family member. I shant reveal who. That is for them to discover. And when they do, it is my sincerest hopes that the Ugly Fucking Ornament does not end up in my care once again.

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC lightens it up a little to look at Charles Manson’s impending nuptials)

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Ca-razy! – by Mikey-B

Oh Charlie, you crazy bastard you. Well evidently the general masses in good ole ‘Merica have gone too long without hearing about the swastika-adorned forehead villain we all love to hate…Charles Manson.

The 80-yr. old former criminal mastermind who thrilled us all when he uttered the words “Look here Geraldo man! I could have your head in a box tomorrow if I wanted to” on live TV, is now going to get married.

…there’s no punch-line there.

A woman(?) of legal age is actually going to marry him.

Awe, isn’t that just fucking precious. Marriage is such a beautiful thing, ain’t it? Never mind the fact that Charlie has been in prison since ’72 and this scraggly white trash split-tail wasn’t even born until ’88. It MUST be true love.

Why else would …well, ANY 26-yr. old marry an 80-yr. old man whose been imprisoned his entire fucking life?

She’s in it for the mone…uh….well no, that doesn’t work. Oh well I’m sure they’ll have some good years together and make a caring, loving home when he gets released….IF he gets released from prison.

Y’know? In the year 2027…when his next parole hearing comes up. He’ll be 93.

Ok seriously, is the dating pool really THAT spread thin? I mean when your standards are so low, that you have to resort to picking dudes up at a prison. Old dudes…in prison. She couldn’t find herself a nice serial rapist in his 40’s or something?

While you’re debating that little gem, think about this; what if they actually allowed conjugal visits?

They don’t at that particular prison but if they did….could you imagine what that would smell like?

WOW! Oh, and here’s another interesting little tidbit; she had to talk Charlie into it! She wanted to get married last year and Chuckie laughed it off, saying it was just a big scam. For fuck’s sake chick, is your honeypot THAT bad?

She’s from the Midwest. There has to be some toothless mullet out there with a grease-stained wife beater putting the finishing touches on his ’86 Firebird, just setting the beavages of the Del Vista Rae Trailer Park into moist frenzies.

No? That guy is still too unattainable for you sweetheart? I mean we know why Charlie’s doing it, but this broad…just how fucked up is you bitch?

You want to know the really funny thing about this? ~ The conservative Christian crowd out there….the “morally correct” folks who believe every law in the grand USA should coincide with their Biblical interpretations… Duck Dynasty fans….Yeah those people?

They still think it’s better for this Charles Manson wedding to take place than two law-abiding MEN.

Y’know; wouldn’t want to ruin the sanctity of marriage. THAT’s the real joke!

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC lightens it up a little to look at Charles Manson’s impending nuptials)

Well He’s White Anyway – by KMFP

So the obvious joke here is that Charles Manson has a 26-year old fiancé… and you’re still single.

But seriously though… Charles Manson has a 26-year old fiancé and you’re still single!!!

What the solid fuck is going on in this world? Nothing surprises me anymore. With all of the available apps and social networking available, forging a relationship with “Helter Skelter” himself felt like the most viable of options?

My colleague Barbara Anne questioned how one would go about telling her folks of such a new beau, but something tells me that the sort of parents (more likely “parent”) responsible for… uhm – “raising”… anybody capable of doing such a thing, either don’t have enough of a relationship with their daughter for her to worry about disappointing them, or more likely bask in the attention just as much as she does.

There are certain things out there in the big bad dating world that my two daughters will one day be a part of that scare the liquid shit out of me, and particular types of suitors who I’m definitely hoping they avoid – namely being those akin to a young KMFP.

That said, life-sentenced, convicted murderers and notorious cult leaders do not make that list, and for one main reason:

I do NOT raise the kind of children whose quest for “acceptance” and what just may be the world’s greatest of “Daddy issues” would lead them to the visitors section of the nearest maximum security prison!

Holy shit – if there’s one thing that would have you wishing they were on the pole…

Look, parenting is hard – no doubt – and nobody has yet developed that “surefire” method of raising these little shits to a level of guaranteed success and a life that you’re not glossing over at your Saturday golf outing, or flat-out lying about on Girls Night Out.

But I’m gonna’ “go out on” the proverbial “limb” here and say that 97.9% of even the dumbest of backward-ass, hill-jack love connections to have ever somehow had the bare minimum level of mental acuity required to yield to animalistic instinct and stick their ugly (extremely I’m guessing) parts together for the few minutes necessary to contaminate my world – yes even those assholes – can manage to steer their daughters clear of engagement to the most notorious living felon on the planet.

This is so pathetic that funny is all that it can possibly be.

I’ve dropped family members from my realm of acknowledgement for far less insane of offenses and would have ZERO problem writing this fucking nut-job off… though something tells me that is also the least of her worries.

What’s that? Daddy Twelve-Pack’s threatened to restructure the will and leave Junior the ’77 Pinto, while Momma Dolphin-On-The-Ankle-Tattoo says you’ll have to spring for you own goddamned smokes from now on?

Well ain’t that a life she’ll miss? “But Momma, I LUVVVV him!”

“Oh well, at least he’s not black” – doesn’t something tell you these are the kind of folk who have actually HAD this conversation?

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC lightens it up a little to look at Charles Manson’s impending nuptials)

Hey Mom! Guess What?!? – by Barbara Anne

Your daughter just brought home a new suitor.

You are immediately stressed with a million questions. Where did he come from? How long has she known him? Does she really know him? What are his true intentions? What does he want to do with his life?

As parents these moments that actually take years to arrive seem to sneak up on us all of a sudden. Once they get here we are rarely ready.

We realize that one of these fellas or ladies our daughters and sons bring home – could very well be the one we release them to, potential parents of our grandchildren.

That is some scary stuff. You think you gave them all the tips and tricks to avoid the pitfalls, to be friends and get to know someone first, don’t rush things, to choose wisely and avoid danger – yet somehow … they often jump from the cliff and repeat your mistakes. Leaving you in “where did I go wrong?” mode.

Well, I read something the other day that makes me feel a little bit better about the choices my kids have made so far – even those that I found to be questionable.

There is a young lady out there – that just went home and told her family – “I’m getting married”.

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC pertains to the father in Collinsville, IL who went on the school bus to confront his daughter’s bully)

Somebody Had To Do It – by Barbara Anne

I’m not certain this was the perfect answer – the Father of a child giving a bully what for – but I do know someone had to do it.

The administration didn’t do it.

Friends didn’t do it.

The bus driver didn’t do it.

Teachers didn’t do it.

I’m not saying they all knew about it – but I guarantee you if the child finally go to the point where they went home and advised their father – the above list – or perhaps even other people either saw something – or were told what was going on – and did NOTHING.

The ONLY way this goes on forever is by doing nothing.

The way to stop it is to #DoSomething.

#DoSomething is not equal to a physical altercation between an adult and a child. But I think letting them know that someone bigger than them loves the person they are hurting daily, now knows what is going on and they are not going to stand for it any longer – just might be the ticket.

If the situation should escalate between the children because of the father’s actions and the school allows it – that is another travesty. They need to be paying attention.

When the adults do not step in and verbally strike the behavior down – and friends don’t step up and show solidarity and say stop – we are not going to have it anymore – then things escalate. They often go one of two ways.

One, the child being bullied gets so angry – that this stops being a mental game – and it turns into something physical. This could result in a fist fight between the parties and their friends – or something much worse. In my day I wasn’t worried about a tormented soul bringing a gun or explosives to school – if you don’t worry about it today, you are not paying attention.

The other expands the mental game. Until not only the bully is doing the bullying as the child believes it all, and starts saying it in their own head to themselves, they hear it in what other people say – even if they didn’t really say it – they start reading into other conversations and finding the mis-truths there. This can lead to despair, withdrawal from school activities that they do enjoy, withdrawal from family even suicide.

And why – because people did NOTHING. If you are trying the “normal channels” you better plan on following up because they do not always bear results.

This dad did something and in addition to his story running, I saw another where the state of Florida is doing something. Young girls, 12 and 14, have been arrested and charged in association with another girl’s suicide.

Why? Because they bullied – in print and apparently verbally.

Now this story caught my attention, first of course because of the young girl who will not become all the things she was meant to be now – but also because it included information that confirmed something I have been saying for a long time.

Parents don’t get it. They can be blind.

I will say that these girls have not be convicted – so they do still fall under that innocence until proven guilty rule – but one of their father’s made this comment.

“My daughter’s a good girl, and I’m 100% sure that whatever they’re saying about my daughter is not true.”

You cannot be 100% sure of anything if you are not with them in the crowds every day – if you have never silently observed them with others – if you do not monitor what they are doing on social media and in the texting world.

Who doesn’t want to believe that their kids are “good”? We all do –

But there comes a time when if you didn’t follow up on what is happening in their lives on your own before, that evidence may just smack you in the face. If you are lucky – it won’t be because someone lost their life.

Let me tell you a quick story about something that happened at my child’s elementary school.

Once upon a time, I was able to go into my daughter’s school and walk with her to class. Something she requested of me. On the way to her classroom we would see things and hear things. It was a great way for me to see how different kids interacted – a great way for us to have topics of discussion on what we witnessed and I could share with her what I expected of her in a similar situation.

I could see how the kids would welcome her when she arrived, and view the classroom setting on a day other than open house – which I think is very important.

Then Sandy Hook happened and all of that went away. One day it was like I said above, and the next day doors were locked and parents were confined to the entrance.

We lost something that day – new policy after new policy went into effect.

Then one afternoon my daughter came home and told me about a scenario. She wanted to know what I thought. There were things being said, unnecessary things – and in my opinion those things would only escalate over time and become more harmful. The younger you can catch this behavior the better.

I asked her if anyone spoke to the teacher. She said yes, and I said well that is good and she informed me that it really didn’t matter because the teachers say, “Is anyone hurt? Is anyone bleeding?” then that is the end of it.

If no one was physically hurt, “then it is just tattling”.

Wow. To me, that is an Epic Fail.

She was no longer interested in bringing anything to anyone’s attention, no matter how she felt about it.

I mentioned this to the principal – and her response was, “I’m sure that you can understand that this is a fine line.” Yes I can – but it is a line that needs to be crossed.

A while back, I remember a school that had zero tolerance for a plastic knife a young one packed in her lunch to cut up her chicken, only brought it out at lunch – only attempted to cut her chicken with it – no prior inappropriate history, yeah – she was suspended – but the verbal bullying stuff… yeah… nothing.

Zero tolerance for bullying has to start meaning it – and it isn’t just about physically pushing people around, it is often the ones who are mentally shoved that are the first to go right over the edge.

Wake up and evolve would you? It is long overdue.

Doing nothing – does nothing – it has been proven time and time again. Words do hurt – no matter how many times you try to convince people they do not. Some minds are strong enough to take them and realize the speaker is the one that is messed up, others are not. It is time to stop deciding something was not a big deal, and if an issue is brought to you – address it.

This is what I think should’ve been happening at my daughter’s school. Every issue should be addressed. EVERY ISSUE. A child brings it to the table, we talk about it.

Now, here is where you have some discretion. You do not get to choose which ones to bring to the table, which ones “don’t matter” – however – as the adult – you decide which ones need immediate serious one on one attention with the offender, and which ones are brought to the class for discussion about right and wrong.

We don’t bring the reporter into this and say sew n sew told Sally… but we go through what is acceptable and what is not.

Kids are smart. If this is the plan and is done every time, after a few times they will not mention EVERYTHING, those little things – they will only report what is most important, because they do not want to waste their time in a lecture any more than you want to give one.

But don’t make them feel like they can’t come to you – don’t make them feel like what they are about to say is just going to be cast aside with indifference, just because no one has a broken nose. That is a mistake, a mistake that can have final, fatal consequences.

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC pertains to the father in Collinsville, IL who went on the school bus to confront his daughter’s bully)

Who’s the Bully Now? – by Mikey-B

We hear it almost daily – “Bullying”. This kid got bullied and did something horrific, either to themselves or snapped and did something to others. Schools take time out of their lessons to implement anti-bullying programs. YouTube videos are made of bullies getting a proverbial shit sandwich shoved into their deserving faces.

Bullying is not a new concept. It’s been around since the dawn of man. It’s a part of every species on Earth. Every person out there has been bullied in one way or another. Bullying is a part of life. It’s a part of life that we are increasingly failing to educate our children properly…at least on how to EFFECTIVELY deal with.

Bullying is about a show of force. It is about imposing the will of one being onto another being they perceive to be weaker. It’s ugly and barbaric.

It’s also a highly effective tool and one that is used every day in an array of circumstances. Parents bully their own kids. “If you don’t clean up that mess, I’m throwing your stuff away!”

I know it might seem like an odd example but think of it in its simplest terms. A bully takes a position of power – be it physical, mental or emotional – and then threatens the other person into acting the way they want. We love our kids, but we bully them all the time.

Our military bullies. “If you don’t act right, we’ll come over there and blow your shit all to hell”.

Cops and prosecutors bully. “If you don’t tell us what we want to hear, you’ll go to jail”.

My long drawn out point here is – Bullying is NOT all bad. Again it is a highly effective tool. It’s so engrained in us that when we as parents see other parents NOT bullying their kids, we hold our exasperated breaths.

“Why are you trying to reason with that child?! You’re the parent! You MAKE that child behave!”

See folks, our kids see bullying in all its forms, every damn moment! They learn that when you use the techniques of bullying properly, you get the results you want. When bullying is done to produce positive results, everyone is okay with it. When bullying is done with the greater good of both the victim and society in general in mind, we’re okay with it.

The kind of bullying we DON’T like is when someone we care about is bullied for reasons that are counterproductive to our own wishes and are done so for no other reason than to torment the victim.

When this happens, we do what we’ve always done. We stand up for ourselves. We run and get a bigger bully either in the form of a teacher, an older brother, a parent, a cop…etc.

So when you ask, is it right for a parent to go onto a school bus and encounter the bully that has been tormenting their child? My answer is simple.

Of course it’s the right thing to do.

Yes, the school is going to get up in arms. Yes, there’s going to be backlash for his actions and Yes the child that was bullying other kids is going to get bullied into ….NOT negatively bullying anymore!

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC pertains to the father in Collinsville, IL who went on the school bus to confront his daughter’s bully)

Bus Bully Beatdowns – by Miss Meza

It’s in the news again. A fed up parent resorts to confronting a child’s school bus bully. And again, this parent could face legal trouble for the threats made towards a minor.

But think about it for a moment and tell me you wouldn’t do the same.

Put yourself in Dad’s shoes for a minute, or even a week. Your kid comes home miserable every single day. They have been harassed, tormented, and sometimes even physically harmed, not just once but repeatedly.

This happens too often. And it continues because “zero tolerance” only really exists when it is convenient or easy to enforce. The bus is a warzone; it has been since the beginning of time. No sitting here, gum in the hair, kicking the back of seats, and more. But to follow typical child nature the offenses are random, usually.

Then you have the bus bully. They found the weakness: Little supervision and even less proof. It can be a catastrophe waiting to happen. The poor kid who falls victim may suffer silently (as many victims do) or nothing happens to stop the bullying if it is reported.

What’s a kid to do? Better yet what is a parent to do? Complaints fall on deaf ears. And when your kid is unhappy, as a parent you would do just about anything to make it better.

Take a moment and google search “school bus bully dad” and no less than 15-separate cases come up. Granted, some of these parents acted in the moment, and didn’t even attempt to follow the proper channels, but others did with little to no results, and sometimes even a worsening of the bullying. And yes, a handful of frustrated parents resorted to physical violence, but others did not.

They each faced criminal charges, some were dismissed while others had to pay the price.

Honestly: If someone repeated tormented my kid, and the proper channels didn’t get results, I would more than likely do the same thing. Climb on the bus and have a “Come to Jesus” with the little asshole causing the trauma.

Now, I don’t advocate violence – far from it in fact. But I sure as hell will not sit by and watch my kid be torn to the core by some punk on a yearlong ego trip. If school officials won’t stop it, I will do my damnedest to. Yes, even if that means criminal charges. I would absolutely put my reputation at risk for my child’s health and safety.

Maybe bullies need to realize they are not immune. Maybe we, as parents, need to be more mindful for our child, be they bully or victim, and step in before it is crisis time. Maybe, just maybe – these parents have stopped a school shooting by changing the course of a victims decline in mental health.

We can “maybe” all day long, but in the end the reality is that while there may be big strides in our school to reduce bullying and its effects on the targets, the buss is an extension of the school but not of the supervision provided in the halls and classrooms.

Screw budgets, statistics, and the like. Do what is best for students not numbers. Put cameras on busses and make them actually function. Hire monitors. And enforce “zero tolerance”.

If there could even be a question of whether an offense happened, take the same steps taken in the building to nip it. Then continue to watch for any more flare ups.

It can be done. And if it is done, “maybe” parents won’t be forced to become vigilantes and make threats that could cost them everything.

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Be sure to check out this section for a “Hot Topic” that is trending in the world of news, entertainment, pop culture or really anywhere else.

We will introduce a weekly topic on Monday, and then rotate the order of my regular columnists expressing their personal views each day for the remainder of the week, giving you a slightly – or radically – different perspective each day.

(This week’s HOT TOPIC is “Early Christmas”, as in its continued takeover of the preceding holidays)

A Little Bit More – by Barbara Anne

Although I think it is good for us to keep Christmas in our hearts all year long, it is not the religious aspect of Christmas that keeps pushing it forward – the season of advent does not change. It is the commercial aspect of Christmas that pushes items to the shelves next to the Halloween candy.

It does seem to get earlier all the time, but when I really sit down and look at it – in the midwest they are putting out the swimsuits in January – so they are really rushing every season of the year, not just Christmas.

Christmas is much more noticeable what with the trees, and the wreaths, inflatables, lights and garland… the “presents! The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!” – and let’s not forget the Who-Pudding and Roast Beast.

We covered this last year – but we don’t need to shop on Thanksgiving. I believe I had a Dr. Seuss reference in that Hot Topic as well!

Celebrate Thanksgiving with those you love – if you know someone with nowhere to go – invite them in. Be the reason they are thankful. Remember just how lucky you are to have those who are around your table this year as you are not guaranteed the same crowd next year.

Then once the turkey and cranberry are gone – and you have recovered from the pie – then check that list twice, and prepare for the next season of giving.

But don’t let the lights and the whiz-bangs take away from the “giving” part. Those of us who believe in a blessed reason for the season – and those who celebrate it more as a time of sharing with family and others –